Yes, Peter Kavinsky is a fictional character. He is the secondary-love- interest-turned-primary-love-interest in the book-turned-film “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” You can catch the film on Netflix, and I highly recommend you do. After all, it received over a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why do I adore Peter Kavinsky? I shall name the reasons:

1. Noah Centineo, the actor who plays Peter, is a gorgeous human being (let me be superficial for a second).

2. Peter displays vulnerability by opening himself up to talk about his family with Lara Jean (termed “self-disclosure” in relationship science).

3. He pushes Lara Jean towards self-growth. Now, I’m not saying that going to a high school party is how one experiences personal growth. However, through her relationship with Peter, Lara Jean learns to experience life, rather than live in the fantasy world of her head. Peter shouldn’t get all the credit for this one, but Peter certainly helps Lara Jean come out of her shell.

4. The hot tub scene. I’ll leave it at that. *wink*

5. All the little love letters Peter writes Lara Jean. They’re really simple and sweet, and it warms my tender heart.

6. The absolutely ridiculous smile that spreads across Peter’s face when Lara Jean and Peter tell one another their true feelings … ADORABLE!

This is not to say that Peter is a perfect human being. He enters into a fake relationship with the sole purpose of making his ex-girlfriend jealous. That’s not healthy, that’s just bad. Additionally, during the class ski trip (Where were the supervisors? Why wasn’t there a curfew? I have so many questions) when the rest of the students believed Peter and Lara Jean had sex, Peter ignored the possible repercussions that the rumor could have. He did eventually stand up for Lara Jean and clear the air, but not right away when the issue emerged, as he should have.

Maybe the fact that he is a flawed character who attempts to learn from his mistakes is another reason why I find him lovable. Humans are flawed and everyone has a history. We see both of that in Peter.

So where can you find a Peter Kavinsky at Colgate? My friends told me quite simply, “You can’t.” Well yes, because he is not a real person. But why so cynical? Who’s to say there are not former or current Colgate students who embody Peter Kavinsky-like qualities and traits? What if he were really to come to Colgate? My friends and I speculated what a Colgate Peter Kavinsky might “look” like.

The group agreed he would major in history. If he stopped playing lacrosse in college, we figured he’d be in a fraternity. Maybe he’d be in “This is Not a Play About Sex,” probably during his senior year. He’d definitely do Yes Means Yes. While not one to be overly involved, he would likely still be active on campus, maybe as a Link or a member of a pre-professional organization. He’d be the guy who’d bring the Colgate “hello” back to campus and you’d find him socializing with various, heterogeneous groups.

I do not think we should be so quick to write off the idea that an attractive, intelligent, athletic and genuine individual could go to Colgate. I have certainly met individuals here, male and female, who check off several of the aforementioned qualities ones might find in a Peter Kavinsky-Colgate mash-up. So my question is, have you met a Peter Kavinsky, the Peter Kavinsky, your Peter Kavinsky?

Contact Kira Palmer at [email protected].